An extensive desktop review of 17 ‘off-the-shelf’ apps was performed, ranking the apps against specific selection criteria relevant to a typical ACIAR project. Two apps were selected, with their critical feature being a capacity to perform multi-purpose monitoring ; CommCare and SurveyCTO. These two apps were then trialled in a six-week field pilot in villages of Gerokgak and Sanggalangit in the north of Bali, Indonesia, involving eight field researchers from Udayana University, 80 smallholder cattle producers. Surveys for the pilot were designed to simulate the data requirements generated by a complex ACIAR research project.